While in Costco I ran into an acquaintance from our previous church. She knew Bill announced his resignation and planned to pursue another ministry. Naturally, she asked where we were going next. I replied, “I don’t know. God has not shown us.” A look of horror spread across her face. One would have thought I began speaking in tongues and dancing in the aisles of Costco. In her well-planned life, she never considered taking a step out on faith. She did not know God may choose to be creative and unconventional. God sometimes “colors outside the lines.”
PAUL’S LACK OF PLANS
In Acts 16, Paul is not positive which direction God wants them to take on their mission trip. For all of us for whom detailed planning is vital, news like this makes our stomachs queasy. Do you think the Apostle Paul’s friends wondered about Paul’s lack of plans?
WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING?
The Holy Spirit told Paul’s crew where not to go: Asia. The group had just come from the east. God forbids them to go south or north. It is interesting that they do not presume the Lord is leading them to the west. They wait for His specific directions. Like the woman at Costco, some may have wondered, “What in the world are you doing?”
GOD COLORS OUTSIDE THE LINES
God chooses to color outside the lines. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. Ray Stedman observes: “As we look back, across the intervening twenty centuries, we can see that this is one of the most important events of all time. It changed the whole course of Western civilization. Perhaps no single event since the cross of Christ has so affected the world as Paul’s seemingly unpretentious decision to cross a narrow neck of water.”
NOT PAUL’S NORM
The missionaries pack their bags and travel to the city of Philippi, a leading city of Macedonia. The dynamics of Philippi did not fit Paul’s norm. Usually, Paul goes to the synagogue first to share the Gospel. But there is no synagogue to be found Philippi. A quorum of at least ten Jewish men is needed to have a synagogue. No men, so what does Paul do when the Sabbath Day arrives? The crew make their way to the river where they may at least find a place of prayer.
What do they discover? A group of women led by Lydia, a worshipper of God. She is a Gentile businesswoman, not the typical audience of Paul’s. God colors outside the lines.
FIRST EUROPEAN CONVERT TO CHRISTIANITY
Paul didn’t bail on Philippi because it didn’t fit his plans. Instead, he stands on the riverbank and obeys God. Paul shares the Gospel of Jesus Christ with Lydia. Stedman notes, “The gospel first entered Europe through a Business and Professional Women’s Association meeting.” Lydia becomes the first European convert to Christianity.
Think of the millions who came to know Christ through the ages in Europe due to one Gentile woman worshipping God on a riverbank. At the beginning of Acts 16, there are no men. Where did the Christian brothers come from mentioned at the end of Acts 16? They resulted from Lydia and her evangelistic efforts. Lydia’s home became the first house church in Europe.
Some may look at horror regarding Paul’s lack of travel plans. He did not color within the conventional paths. The lady at Costco would not have been pleased. However, Paul waited on God and obeyed God exactly, even when things may have appeared a little wonky.
WHAT IS GOD CALLING YOU TO DO?
What is God calling you to do that is out of your comfort zone? Do you have difficulty saying “yes” while thinking of lots of reasons to say “no”? I’m so glad that years ago we said yes to God. God never abandons us, even when things may appear a little askew. He often colors outside the lines, and it is glorious!
For additional reading, click the “Great Awakening”